'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' and 'Kong: Skull Island' Share a Character

The Godzilla sequel is adding three of Godzilla’s most-iconic kaiju co-stars to Legendary’s Monsterverse, but it’s also setting up a later movie where the King of the Monsters throws down with King Kong. The director of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, revealed that his upcoming film does indeed have a concrete connection to Kong: Skull Island, though he was cagey about the specifics.

In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, director Michael Dougherty confirmed that a character from Skull Island, which took place in the ‘70s, will appear in King of the Monsters, which appears to be set in the current day.

“We do bring back one character from Kong: Skull Island,” he said. As to who it is? “You’ll have to see the movie.”

Given that about four decades have passed since the events of Skull Island, it’s probably safe to assume that it’s not somebody like John C. Reilly’s character, who probably died of old age. It’s possible that Tom Hiddleston or Brie Larson’s characters, who got dropped into Monarch at the end of Skull Island will make appearances, though perhaps they’ll be recast so an older actor can play the part. Jing Tian or Corey Hawkins’s characters, who were Monarch’s new biologist and geologist, respectively, are also contenders.

Technically, Silicon Valley star Thomas Middleditch, who has a role in King of the Monsters and was part of Rotten Tomatoes’ interview, made an appearance in Skull Island. He’s friends with Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, and had a little voice cameo. When Larson gets a call on the phone when she’s in a darkroom at the start of the movie, that’s Middleditch. That’s not the returning Skull Island character Dougherty was talking about, though.

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As for what else to expect from the film? Dougherty says it won’t be like 2014’s Godzilla, which held the titular kaiju back, Jaws-style, for a lot of the movie. There’s going to be monster action right at the start.